labour and fatigue. Laid aside their lances, and fought with pistols and carbines. The custom blamed but at last adopted. 2. The Spanish infantry well disciplined. Walloons, Italians. The Duke of Parma. Retreat from before Amiens. Saying of Henry IV. 3. Swiss phalanx. March from Meaux. 4. English and Germans, brave but undisciplined. Religious wars. 1. Persecution inspires union, obstinacy, and at last resentment.A sect becomes a party. Why Christianity suffered so long.-Greeks and Asiatics-Objection from martyrs-Difference of active and passive courage.-Chinese. 2. Connexion of religion and politics. The leaders seldom free from enthusiasm, or the followers from ambition. 3. Other passions mix with these. Massacre of Paris owing to revenge-of Charles IX.-of Guise-of the Parisians. The ruling passion? very rare. Most passions confined to times, place, persons, circumstances.-Love, hatred, revenge, jealousy, vanity, &c.-Patriotism seldom even a passion.-Ambition generally mixed · with other passions, often subservient to them-when pure, as in Cæsar, Richelieu, must succeed or perish-Avarice perhaps the only ruling permanent passion. "Search then the ruling passion, there alone "The fools are constant, and the wise are known," &c. POPE. Bobinet in the Comptesse d'Escarbagnes, and Sir Hugh in the Merry Wives of Windsor-ridiculous resemblance without probability of imitation. The Popish worship like the Pagan? Certainly. Huetius's Ode will serve for either Mary or Diana-But this resemblance probably with out imitation-Reasons, 1. Images, ornaments, garlands, lights, odours, music, affect the senses of all men-are found in the worship of the Indians, Chinese, Americans, &c. 2. Images opposed whilst the Pagans subsisted, received as soon as they were extinct. 3. The jubilee invented by Priests who had scarcely heard of the secular games. 4. Monks and relics of Martyrs, the favourite superstitions of the 4th century, detested by the Pagans. Middleton, elegant and just (in facts), carries his parallel too far-the sacerdotal order on quite different principles from that of old RomeWarburton dogmatic, just in his inference, weak in his argument. See Huetii Commentarius, p. 258-262. Freedom of Thought. 1. Infallible authority allows not the faculties of the mind fair playMay be just and happy, but is a yoke-Faith of the Pagan light and easy, of the Christian binding and comprehensive of the Papist variable-Plutarch, Tillotson, and Bellarmin. 2. Authority of Doctors,-a voluntary slavery under the name of reason-how common!-the ancient sects-professed philosophers how bigotted-Romans, &c. more liberal, heard several before they choseobstinate in their choice, yet sometimes changed. 3. Authority of our own systems. Men of imagination dogmatic.Bolingbroke.-True freedom and scepticism-ease and pleasantryBayle and a student of Salamanca. A free-thinker may be rational or wild, superficial or profound-however, the road is open before him and his sight clear. Freedom of individual relative to general slavery-an Englishman may reject with contempt what an Italian examines with caution-yet the Italian the free-thinker-il voto sanguinario of Muratori-the tenets of Atterbury and Courayer nearly the same, their manner of thinking how different-the one tended to slavery, the other to liberty. Maxim of La Bruyère of governments; when quiet how ever disturbed! when disturbed how ever quiet! very just.-Supported by the interest interest of a few, courtiers, priests, soldiers-real power of the latterhonour and attachment-despotic government more secure in large states-indolence, prejudices, &c. of the multitude-chain of imitation-power of habit-necessity of order-every conspiracy a new society-danger of each individual-extreme danger of strong passions and great talents-when the charm is once broken, every man feels his real strength, and despises the idol-hopes succeed to fears-the bond of faction grows stronger, that of government weaker-vicissi tude. Character and conduct of Brutus-obstinate patriotism of Scipio and Cato after the battle of Pharsalia-collect a formidable force in Africa (1)-second civil war-Brutus the nephew and disciple of Cato-remained quiet in Italy-studied eloquence with Cicero-their panegyrics on Cato (2)-attended with no danger. The more moderate patriots had submitted to Cæsar-Cicero, Varro, Marcellus, &c.—their motives, horror of civil war, despair of success, cruelty of the Pompeian party, Cæsar's mildness, hopes that he would restore the Republic-their private life, melancholy complaints. Cicero's boldness (3). Brutus submitted immediately after the battle-made the first advances-revealed Pompey's designs, (4) was admitted into friendship and confidence-Proconsul of the Cisalpine Gaul (5)—his equity and mildness (6)-importance of the province, military force (7)-had the (1) Lucan. Pharsal. ix. 18, &c. Magni post funera, partes Libertatis erunt. Hist. de Bello Afric. c. 1, 2, &c. &c.—M. Guichardt's Military Comment. (2) Cic. Orator. c. 10.—Ad Attic. xiii. 46; xii. 21. (3) See Cicero to Atticus, Varro, Papirius, Pætus, Cecinna, &c.-Pro Mariell. 8, 9. pro Ligario 3, et passim. (4) Plut. in Brut. Bayle au mot Brutus. (5) Plut. Aurel. Victor de V. J. C. 82. Cic. ad Fam. vi. 6. xiii. 10, &c. (6) Cic. Orator. c. 10.—Plut. (7) Montesquieu, Grandeur des Romains, c. xi. Ac. Philippic. iii. c. 5. war war been transferred to Italy, Brutus must have betrayed Cæsar or the republic. His further honours, first prætor and consul elect (1)—preferred to Cassius-no freedom of election (2)—voluntary engagements-to obey the decree (3)-to defend the person of Cæsar (4)-no faith with tyrants (5)-excuse rather than motive. Respect for Brutus (6)-tyrannicide, hatred of kings-greatness of Rome-fame of Cæsar, humanity of Brutus. In scelus it Pharium, Romani pœna tyranni; L'exemple, que tu dois, périroit avec toi. (8) Fine imitation-the sentiment itself truly Roman-great in Lucan's mouth-far greater in Pompey's widow-has a sublime effect in the tragedy, as it engages Cornelia to discover the conspiracy, and save the life of her enemy. Thucydides and Guicciardini in the true station for historians of their own times-mistake of Mr. Wharton as to the latter (9)—both acquainted with the business of peace and war-their characters procured them every information-had studied the greatest men of their times-better acquainted with them all, than each of them was with the others—personal knowledge of great men, the chief advantage of their personal memoirs-Disappointed in those of Cæsar-we perceive (6) Vell. Pat. 1. ii. c. 72. M. Auton, et August. apud Plut. in Brut. (7) Lucan. x. 343. (8) Le Pompée de Corneille, acte iv. scèn. 4. (9) Adventurer, No. 123. the the scholar and the soldier, we lose the man-except in the simplicity with which he relates his greatest actions-the memoirs of Xenophon much more characteristic-those of De Retz still more so-pity the events are so little interesting. Camp, near Winchester, 26th July, 1761. HINTS OF SOME SUBJECTS FOR HISTORY. I WOULD despise an author regardless of the benefit of his readers: I would admire him who, solely attentive to this benefit, should be totally indifferent to his own fame. I stand in neither of these predicaments. My own inclination, as well as the taste of the present age, have made me decide in favour of history. Convinced of its merit, my reason cannot blush at the choice. But this is not all. Am I worthy of pursuing a walk of literature, which Tacitus thought worthy of him, and of which Pliny doubted whether he was himself worthy? The part of an historian is as honourable as that of a mere chronicler or compiler of gazettes is contemptible. For which task I am fit, it is impossible to know, until I have tried my strength; and to make the experiment, I ought soon to choose some subject of history, which may do me credit, if well treated; and whose importance, even though my work should be unsuccessful, may console me for employing too much time in a species of composition for which I was not well qualified. I proceed, therefore, to review some subjects for history; to indicate their advantages and defects; and to point out that subject which I may think fit to prefer. The history of Richard I. of England, and his crusade against the Saracens, is alluring by the marvellous. A king of England fighting * Vide Plin. Secund. Epist. Lib. v. Ep. viii. at The history of Richard I. of sade against the Saracens. |